1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to door lights or windows in doors in more particularly to a spring clip fastener for releasably mounting opposed sections of a door light frame in a door light opening.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A so-called "door light" (sometimes referred to as a door "lite") is a window in a door. Typically, door lights are manufactured separately from the doors in which they are mounted. In a typical construction, a door is manufactured, and a door light opening or hole is provided in the door for the door light. The door light comprises two principal components, a frame and transparent or transluscent pane of glass, plastic or the like mounted in the frame. The frame comprises two opposed sections, each of which fit on opposed sides of the door and overlap slightly with the edge of the door light opening.
The door light is mounted in the door light opening by mounting the opposed sections of the door light frame in the opening with the pane of glass or the like sandwiched between the opposed sections. The two sections are fastened securely together in the opening, and this presses the glass firmly between the sections and holds it in place.
The environment of the present invention is an improved fastener for holding opposed sections of a door light frame together.
One method previously used for fastening door light frames together has been by the use of conventional screws. However, screws must be threaded individually into the frame, and this takes a significant amount of time and expense. A method heretofor developed for holding opposed sections of an injection molded door light frame together comprises the use of cylindrical pins that fit inside aligned openings in the opposed sections of frame. In this type of system, the aligned openings are formed in opposed bosses that extend inwardly from each side of the frame and are positioned at a number of points around the outer periphery of the door light frame. The pins typically are formed of plastic or steel and are supposed to be wedged tightly in the opposing cylindrical openings in the bosses as the two sections of the frame are pressed together with a piece of glass sandwiched between the sections of frame.
One problem encountered with this type of fastener is that the process of molding plastic makes it difficult to obtain sufficiently precise tolerances to provide a perfect fit between the pins and the cylindrical openings in the bosses. Sometimes the opening is too large, and the pin falls out; and sometimes the opening is too small, and the pin can either crack the cylindrical boss or can be wedged so tightly in the opening that separation of the sections of door light frame is impossible without destroying the pin or the bosses. The latter problem is particularly significant when a rigid steel pin is used. Moreover, it can be difficult to align the pins with the openings in the bosses in installing the door light frame.
The problem of imprecise tolerances is aggravated when plastic pins are used, because there can be variation in both the size of the pins and the openings. Moreover, plastic pins are subject to expansion and contraction during hot and cold weather. This can cause the pins to freeze up in the door light frame or fall out of the door light frame.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved fastener for mounting a door light in a door light opening, wherein the fastener is inexpensive; is easy to align with opposing bosses in opposing sections of the door light frame; holds the opposed sections of door light frame together firmly without requiring precise manufacturing tolerances; and permits separation of the frame sections without damaging the frame.